Clark Lea Makes Final Statement to College Football Playoff Committee

NASHVILLE---Clark Lea's media tour has finished and the final touches are on each College Football Playoff rèsumè as Sunday's Selection show looms. It's been an uncharacteristic week in which Lea has publicly campaigned, shown emotion in front of the microphone and has relentlessly played into external narratives. It's all been calculated.

It appears as if Lea--whose Vanderbilt team is ranked No. 14 in the College Football Playoff rankings--has no other choice but to circle the wagons and lobby to the committee. The Vanderbilt coach was asked earlier in the week if he believed the exercise to be helpful and his actions have appeared to agree with the premise of that question. The Vanderbilt coach has been on nearly every national outlet pitching his team and taking any platform possible to do so.

When the sun went down and everything concluded, he made one last-ditch effort in a way that didn't force anyone to platform him.

"I've heard it all today," Lea tweeted, "I’ve watched it all today. Vanderbilt football deserves a chance to be in the College Football Playoff. You can try to talk your way into whatever you want. A 10-2 SEC team, playing its best football late. With the best offense in the country. With the best Quarterback in the country."

"PUT. US. IN."

I've heard it all today.

I’ve watched it all today.@VandyFootball deserves a chance to be in the @CFBPlayoff.

You can try to talk your way into whatever you want. A 10-2 SEC team, playing its best football late. With the best offense in the country. With the best Quarterback…
— Clark Lea (@Coach_Lea) December 7, 2025

This Vanderbilt team is 10-2 and has won its final three games behind an explosive offense. Lea also believes that a laundry list of data works in its favor, too. The Vanderbilt coach was intentional on Monday about noting that Vanderbilt’s strength of record being slotted in at 11th in the country by ESPN, its point differential being third in the SEC, that it's ranked fifth in strength of schedule, its 10-2 against the spread and the idea that its two losses came against teams that have a combined 19-5 record. Lea and Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Storey Lee can’t understand why a resume like that won’t result in a playoff berth. It appears as if they don’t think it’s about the resume–which Vanderbilt sent out in a six-page document on Monday night.

Somewhere inside, the Vanderbilt head coach and athletic director likely know they’re fighting an uphill battle to be included in the College Football Playoff. As of today, the Commodores are ranked No. 14 in the CFP rankings and will be re-evaluated one final time on Tuesday night ahead of Selection Sunday. Lea’s team made a statement with a 45-24 win over Tennessee at Neyland Stadium in its final game, but now all it can do is hope to reason with the College Football Playoff committee as it hopes to jump a few spots.